Thursday, August 30, 2012

Grand Collusion? Greenwald on 'NYT' and CIA

Maureen Dowd still silent on fellow reporter leaking one of her columns to the CIA but Glenn Greenwald at his perch at The Guardian in this update is far from it.

This exchange, by itself, is remarkably revealing: of the standard role played by establishment journalists and the corruption that pervades it. Here we have a New York Times reporter who covers the CIA colluding with its spokesperson to plan for the fallout from the reporting by his own newspaper ("nothing to worry about"). Beyond this, that a New York Times journalist – ostensibly devoted to bringing transparency to government institutions – is pleading with the CIA spokesperson, of all people, to conceal his actions and to delete the evidence of collusion is so richly symbolic.

The relationship between the New York Times and the US government is, as usual, anything but adversarial. Indeed, these emails read like the interactions between a PR representative and his client as they plan in anticipation of a possible crisis. Even more amazing is the reaction of the newspaper's managing editor, Dean Baquet,

New Edition of U.S. vs. Pvt. Manning Book

About Me

G.M. is the author of more than a dozen books (click on covers above and below), the longtime editor of Editor & Publisher and until recently a daily writer for The Nation. Email: epic1934@aol.com. Twitter: @GregMitch